With a humorous, yet emotional tone Essay Example

With a humorous, yet emotional tone Essay With a humorous, yet emotional tone, Maya Angelou tells the story of how her journey into life began. In this autobiographical narrative she describes her life with incredible detail, to the point that the reader can actually see that young girls world through her eyes. She openly communicates her adventures of tragedy and triumph throughout those sixteen years of her life, and the attitude she maintains toward her misfortune is admirable. The story begins with a preface that clearly demonstrates that Maya was not happy with being who she was. Angelou even says that one day she wished to wake up from that black dream and be that little white girl with shiny blonde hair and light blue eyes again. Then, the story proceeds, beginning with when she and her brother Bailey were sent to Stamps at the age of three and four, with a tag on their wrists as if they were some kind of luggage that had lost its owner; to the dramatic events growing up in the South, as the black girl she was, with her super religious and strict grandmother; her rape; living in the junk yard for a month; and later experiences that would teach her the meaning of life, specially for her people. 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This terrible experience affected little Maya emotionally and condemned her to eternal silence. The only person she talked to was her brother and best friend, Bailey. After this unpleasant incident, they were both sent back to Stamps, where Maya recovers her voice after several years thanks to Mrs. Flowers who introduces her to a fascinating world of great authors and their powerful language. She is an intelligent, quiet, and motivated girl, but her social and economic status makes her feel out of place everywhere she goes. She only trusts her brother because he is the only one that can understand her. However, slowly Maya becomes aware of the racial prejudice and learns how to deal with it without the protection of her grandmother or Bailey. They go back with their mother to California once again due to her grandmothers coming of age and Uncle Willies unstable physical condition. When her mother marries Mr. Clidell not long after their arrival, Maya finds in him the first image of the father she ever knew. The family moves to San Francisco, where Maya spends the rest of her teenage years. Her doubts concerning her sexuality leads her to her pregnancy during her senior year of high school. Even though her journey was painful and harsh, all these experiences helped her mold the once self-hating, insecure little girl, into the confident, strong, and mature woman at the young age of sixteen. Even though she was pregnant, she did not tell anybody and persevered to complete high school and work toward a productive future. Growing up and surviving in this complex world can be hard, that is why learning about life and accepting oneself is a journey that all people make throughout their lives. It is evident that Angelou did not have an easy childhood, but even though life brings her many hardships, she learns everyday, especially from her grandmother, how to overcome them. These hardships include not only racism and prejudice, but also sexual molestation, poverty, and ignorance. I would say that the divorce of her parents was something positive in her life because it led her to her grandmother, who helped her spread the seeds and become the woman she is today. It is evident that if Maya and Bailey had stayed with either their mother or father, they would end up being useless people, stealing, consuming drugs, selling their body to strangers, or even killing. Fortunately, they did not lower themselves to that point thanks to Momma. How do I know this? Well, first lets take a look at her parents. Her mother is an irresponsible woman who likes to live life the best way she can. Her inexperience of being a mother takes away her right of being called like one. In addition, her family is involved in some sort of mafia. Mayas father is another irresponsible and selfish guy, whose girlfriend is jealous of her and stabs her with a knife! No wonder her parents got divorced and still have an unstable relationship through all those years. In the other hand, while in Sta mps, she learns many things from the close-tied community she lived in and her grandmother, and admires the perseverance and hope with which her neighbors face everyday. Although Maya disliked her grandmothers (Momma) strictness, she loved and respected her for that at the same time. Like everyone else, Momma was subject to white prejudice as well, however the image Maya had of her was like that of an invincible woman that could do anything and would always protect her. But throughout the years, Maya managed to stay above the level of those ignorant white people and maintain her dignity up high. Throughout her life Angelou thinks deeply about racism, religion, and other subjects that we sometimes take for granted. Personally, I was amazed at how much detail she went into and even though I couldnt see her expressions when telling the story, I could somehow feel her passion through every word in this account. I also admired the openness in her words, mainly because she talks about many issues that others would not normally discuss. Told from her point of view, the book shows the ignorance and prejudice of both black and white people during that time. As I read the book, I would laugh, be angry, or moved, but one thing for sure is that it made me think about the world we live in and that we are responsible of what we have today. A good example for this would be the status of black people today compared to not even a hundred years from now. They have what they have because they fought for it and their long and harsh journey deserve to be awarded. Maya Angelou probably chose the title I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, which is very convenient for this opening story of her life, because it talks about the struggles of life and how perseverance and hope can help you overcome them and move forward. My interpretation of the title is that the Bird refers to Angelous people in general, and it is Caged in a horrible life of racial discrimination and prejudice, even to this day. However, as Angelou grows up and experiences the world around her, she learns why the bird, between those bars of injustice, sings; and it sings because despite the struggle that seems to follow her people everywhere, they still have hope and are proud of being a member of the wonderful, beautiful Negro race. One thing Ive realized after reading this book is that just because an African American woman wrote this book doesnt mean it is about SLAVERY and longing to be FREE, but it can also be a lesson about LIFE and give you another perspective of viewing it. This is why I would say that for readers of color, this book would be just a piece of history; but for others it is a lesson of life.